ARTICLES ABOUT MULLAPERIYAR BY DATE - PAGE 5

KOCHI: The controversy over the Mullaperiyar dam between Tamil Nadu and Kerala has hit the poultry market hard. Chicken and egg prices in Kerala, which normally drop during this time due to the Sabarimala pilgrimage season, have shot up because of the trade disruption near the border between the two states. Chicken prices have soared to Rs 80 per kg from Rs 55-60 per kg. Till a few years ago, Kerala used to depend heavily on poultry products from its neighboring state.

NEW DELHI: Home minister P Chidambaram on Sunday withdrew his "Mullaperiyar protest is prompted by a by-poll in Kerala" statement after chief minister Oommen Chandy and senior Congress leaders threatened to take it up with party president Sonia Gandhi . "Like some other speakers, I also made a passing reference to the forthcoming byelection. I take back that remark. That reference was not necessary and it was not my intention to hurt the feelings of anyone," Chidambaram said in a statement on Sunday.

KOCHI Union Minister K V Thomas today described as "unfortunate" the statement by Home Minister P Chidambaram that Kerala government's fears over Mullaperiyar dam was "unnecessary" and that it was being raked up due to the upcoming bypoll. Thomas said he would draw the attention of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to Chidambaram's statement. "What Kerala wants is safety of the state and water for Tamil Nadu. The attempt is to settle this issue either through discussions between the chief ministers of the two states or by judicial verdict," the MoS for Food and Consumer Affairs said.

To resolve the squabble between the states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu over the Mullaperiyar dam , we need to deploy expertise, and not fire up emotions. At stake is a 116-year-old dam, built during colonial times, to control the flow of water from Kerala to Tamil Nadu. Though the dam is located in Kerala, it is operated by the government of Tamil Nadu under a hoary arrangement that has remained unchanged after Independence and the creation of new states from the Madras presidency.